Privacy Policy

Overview

Zone Hunt is a location-based hide-and-seek game played with people you know. This policy explains what we collect while you use the app, why, and how long we keep it.

Information We Collect

Account info: your email address (email/password sign-up, or your real or private relay email via Sign in with Apple; we only ever request your email, never your real name), plus a display name you choose.

Precise location: while you're actively playing a game, we collect your real-time GPS location, including while the app is backgrounded or your phone is locked. This is core to how the game works (the shrinking play zone and catching another player both depend on real position), and won't be collected outside of active gameplay.

Gameplay data: the games you create or join (including the map location you center a game on), your role (hunter/hider), catch and elimination events, and chat messages you send during a game.

Age: at sign-up, we ask for your birthdate to confirm you meet our minimum age requirement (see "Children's Privacy" below). The birthdate itself is used once and is not stored; only the pass/fail result of that check affects whether your account is created.

Monetization: your game balance, free-game usage, and subscription status, if you choose to purchase games or subscribe.

How We Use It

To run the game itself: matching your location against other players and the play zone, syncing game state across everyone in a session, showing chat messages to the right players, and tracking your game/subscription balance. We don't use your information for advertising, and we don't run any third-party analytics or advertising SDKs in this app.

How Long We Keep It

Location, roster, and chat data for a specific game is automatically deleted 24 hours after that game ends, or 24 hours after an unstarted game is abandoned. This happens on a regular automated schedule, not on request.

We keep a lightweight game history (your role, whether you were caught, and how long you survived; no location data) indefinitely, to support features like stats in the future.

Account information (email, display name, game balance) is kept until you ask us to delete it.

Who We Share It With

We use Firebase (a Google Cloud service) to run our backend: authentication, data storage, and game logic. Firebase processes your data on our behalf to make the app work, following Google's own data protection commitments. See Firebase's own privacy and security information for details. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or other third parties.

Children's Privacy

Zone Hunt is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. Account creation requires confirming you're at least 13 years old.

Your Choices

Location permission can be changed or revoked at any time in iOS Settings. Note that background location is required for core gameplay to work while your phone is locked.

To request access to, or deletion of, your personal information, contact us at the email below. We'll respond and act on verified requests as soon as reasonably possible.

Security

We use industry-standard practices (via Firebase) to protect your information. Access to gameplay data is enforced at the database level, not just hidden in the app. For example, a hider genuinely cannot read another hider's live location; that's blocked server-side, regardless of what the app itself shows. No online service can guarantee complete security.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes in a meaningful way, we'll update the date at the top of this page.

Contact Us

Questions, or a request to access or delete your data? Reach us at support@playzonehunt.com.